I am not in the fastlane, but I was the College Coordinator for my boat while I served. Is a degree necessary to be successful. Short answer is no, but it really depends on what you are trying to do. Does a degree help in many fields, absolutely it does.
I have harked against higher education on these forums, but I do believe it is worthwhile if you are in the military for several reasons;
-its free or nearly free. The military pays for 75% of your college tuition and covers 100% of classes with several schools that have programs designed for military students. Any college expenses (books the remaining 25% etc) are tax deductible. When it was all said and done, my degree cost around 5k. I could have done it for around 2k, but made some mistakes along the way.
-if you plan on staying in the military, nowadays a college degree goes a long way towards advancement. It can get you into an officer program and at least for the Navy, is now a prerequisite to earn E-7 (a Chief for outsiders). It looks really good on your evals when you show that you are working on higher education. Not to mention your unit commander gets praise for improving education in your unit. The military is working hard to shake the image of uneducated grunts. Its college programs are nearly unmatched and they get better each year.
- distance learning, self learning is extremely useful if you have the dedication and know where to find help if you get stuck. When I was deployed on my sub, obviously outside help was limited, but I was truly amazed at some of the info my coworkers knew when I asked. Also, it works around your schedule, which I know to well is hectic as can be. If you can convince others to work on their education, you will find many will have the same classes as you. Use that to your advantage. One reason I became college coordinator was slightly selfish, when I saw others working on education after watch, I was motivated to so as well.
-cleps, cleps, cleps. The little known college gem that is free to military and only $60 for civilians. I earned over 30 credits via cleps. Simple 1-2 hour exams. Thats 1 year of normal college study. They are usually given once a week and are given on most college campuses and military installations. Check with your local college office on base. Of the 7 cleps I took, I only studied for 1 of them. I only studied for 10 hours for that one to boot. Its not that I am some know it all in subjects, far from it. Just go in and take the exam, if you fail, so what. The only stipulation is you cannot take that exam again for 6 months. Oh well its free. If your worried about passing any of them, there are many clep guides available at the library or your local book store. My recommendation however is to check the suggested references on the official clep guide, go to the book store and read the opening and summary of every chapter and take the test. There are also tons of free guides on the internet if you search for them. Besides the tests are multiple choice. I have know clue who painted some picture in 1860. I could care less about art, but I do know kinda what a Rembrandt looks like or a Van go. Use your best guesstimate, you'll be surprised how well you do. Several exams I took, I didn't even know I was taking them until I looked at what list was available that morning. Clep Main site On their site in the upper left hand corner their are links for military personal. There is also a link to locate your nearest testing center. Ok enough on cleps for now. If anyone wants more info or exam tips, I can post it.
-combined with your military experience a college degree will push you above and beyond other job applicants. If your applying for a government position, the position is given to a the candidate with the most points. Points are awarded for knowledge in an area, veteran status and college experience. Veterans have a 5 point advantage over non vets and disabled vets have a 10 point advantage. The points are limited to 100 points with an average of 70-80. You better believe it makes a difference.
some recommendations for you
- determine what field you would like to work in when you get out. This may not be the field your in. I made the mistake of thinking, I'm a nuclear operator, I'll just do that when I get out. My degree is in nuclear engineering. I have absolutely no desire to do that. Oops. Earn the degree in what you want to do. It may take a little longer, but can be worth it.
-If your just looking for a quick degree, then stick to your career field. You will already have a ton of military credits towards that degree. Here's where due diligence can help you. If one college doesn't accept your military credit, (they generally do, since many have agreements with the military just like they have credit transfer agreements with other accredited schools) take that transcript and send it through another school. They may accept it. Two different transcript offices can interpret that same data two different ways. Once you have the credit with that school, transfer it back to the original school you were going through. Military credits are confusing for most transcript offices, they just don't know how to correlate experience to classes. It is much easier for them to understand credit transfers based on credits from another school. If that doesn't work and the University or college is nearby, have a chat with the professor in the course you are trying to earn credit in. They are pretty reasonable. This earned me 9 credits I would have otherwise been denied. If you need further explanation on credits and transferring them, let me know.
-if you plan on taking classes after you exit the military, get your MGIB extended now. For 600 dollars you can increase your monthly MGIB payout by nearly $400/mo. Currently the MGIB pays $1070 a month for a full time student (set to go up to $1140 this month). If you do the $600 kicker, it goes to $1470/mo. Believe me, if your a college student outside the military thats a huge difference. Not to mention that carries over the full 36 months of your MGIB life. $600 for total of over $14k more, thats simple math for me.
-find out who your units college coordinator is and have a chat with them, to see what options are available. However, if yours is as lackluster as my first college coordinator was, two options are available. First you can take over the position like I did. Again it looks good on the evals and you get a inside look on how the program works. 2nd, you can just go straight to your base college office. Mine was extremely helpful. They have more info on college programs then you can shake a stick at.
-if a degree is not what your after, look into tech school. The military pays for those as well. Whether your still in or not. Heck, when I landed my first job after I got out, it was at a coal plant. On the job training counted with the MGIB. That was an extra $600 a month.
I could rant all day on the benefits of a degree while your in, but my biggest reason why, its to easy not to do it. If you have any questions, please ask.
edit: I forgot to add. There is a growing community within this forum of active duty and vets. Lets work together and make things happen. Its really makes me happy to see so many working to better themselves.
I have harked against higher education on these forums, but I do believe it is worthwhile if you are in the military for several reasons;
-its free or nearly free. The military pays for 75% of your college tuition and covers 100% of classes with several schools that have programs designed for military students. Any college expenses (books the remaining 25% etc) are tax deductible. When it was all said and done, my degree cost around 5k. I could have done it for around 2k, but made some mistakes along the way.
-if you plan on staying in the military, nowadays a college degree goes a long way towards advancement. It can get you into an officer program and at least for the Navy, is now a prerequisite to earn E-7 (a Chief for outsiders). It looks really good on your evals when you show that you are working on higher education. Not to mention your unit commander gets praise for improving education in your unit. The military is working hard to shake the image of uneducated grunts. Its college programs are nearly unmatched and they get better each year.
- distance learning, self learning is extremely useful if you have the dedication and know where to find help if you get stuck. When I was deployed on my sub, obviously outside help was limited, but I was truly amazed at some of the info my coworkers knew when I asked. Also, it works around your schedule, which I know to well is hectic as can be. If you can convince others to work on their education, you will find many will have the same classes as you. Use that to your advantage. One reason I became college coordinator was slightly selfish, when I saw others working on education after watch, I was motivated to so as well.
-cleps, cleps, cleps. The little known college gem that is free to military and only $60 for civilians. I earned over 30 credits via cleps. Simple 1-2 hour exams. Thats 1 year of normal college study. They are usually given once a week and are given on most college campuses and military installations. Check with your local college office on base. Of the 7 cleps I took, I only studied for 1 of them. I only studied for 10 hours for that one to boot. Its not that I am some know it all in subjects, far from it. Just go in and take the exam, if you fail, so what. The only stipulation is you cannot take that exam again for 6 months. Oh well its free. If your worried about passing any of them, there are many clep guides available at the library or your local book store. My recommendation however is to check the suggested references on the official clep guide, go to the book store and read the opening and summary of every chapter and take the test. There are also tons of free guides on the internet if you search for them. Besides the tests are multiple choice. I have know clue who painted some picture in 1860. I could care less about art, but I do know kinda what a Rembrandt looks like or a Van go. Use your best guesstimate, you'll be surprised how well you do. Several exams I took, I didn't even know I was taking them until I looked at what list was available that morning. Clep Main site On their site in the upper left hand corner their are links for military personal. There is also a link to locate your nearest testing center. Ok enough on cleps for now. If anyone wants more info or exam tips, I can post it.
-combined with your military experience a college degree will push you above and beyond other job applicants. If your applying for a government position, the position is given to a the candidate with the most points. Points are awarded for knowledge in an area, veteran status and college experience. Veterans have a 5 point advantage over non vets and disabled vets have a 10 point advantage. The points are limited to 100 points with an average of 70-80. You better believe it makes a difference.
some recommendations for you
- determine what field you would like to work in when you get out. This may not be the field your in. I made the mistake of thinking, I'm a nuclear operator, I'll just do that when I get out. My degree is in nuclear engineering. I have absolutely no desire to do that. Oops. Earn the degree in what you want to do. It may take a little longer, but can be worth it.
-If your just looking for a quick degree, then stick to your career field. You will already have a ton of military credits towards that degree. Here's where due diligence can help you. If one college doesn't accept your military credit, (they generally do, since many have agreements with the military just like they have credit transfer agreements with other accredited schools) take that transcript and send it through another school. They may accept it. Two different transcript offices can interpret that same data two different ways. Once you have the credit with that school, transfer it back to the original school you were going through. Military credits are confusing for most transcript offices, they just don't know how to correlate experience to classes. It is much easier for them to understand credit transfers based on credits from another school. If that doesn't work and the University or college is nearby, have a chat with the professor in the course you are trying to earn credit in. They are pretty reasonable. This earned me 9 credits I would have otherwise been denied. If you need further explanation on credits and transferring them, let me know.
-if you plan on taking classes after you exit the military, get your MGIB extended now. For 600 dollars you can increase your monthly MGIB payout by nearly $400/mo. Currently the MGIB pays $1070 a month for a full time student (set to go up to $1140 this month). If you do the $600 kicker, it goes to $1470/mo. Believe me, if your a college student outside the military thats a huge difference. Not to mention that carries over the full 36 months of your MGIB life. $600 for total of over $14k more, thats simple math for me.
-find out who your units college coordinator is and have a chat with them, to see what options are available. However, if yours is as lackluster as my first college coordinator was, two options are available. First you can take over the position like I did. Again it looks good on the evals and you get a inside look on how the program works. 2nd, you can just go straight to your base college office. Mine was extremely helpful. They have more info on college programs then you can shake a stick at.
-if a degree is not what your after, look into tech school. The military pays for those as well. Whether your still in or not. Heck, when I landed my first job after I got out, it was at a coal plant. On the job training counted with the MGIB. That was an extra $600 a month.
I could rant all day on the benefits of a degree while your in, but my biggest reason why, its to easy not to do it. If you have any questions, please ask.
edit: I forgot to add. There is a growing community within this forum of active duty and vets. Lets work together and make things happen. Its really makes me happy to see so many working to better themselves.